Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Rehaana - part 4 - the first period

"What!!!" she called back, half a shout, half a wonder as to what he meant...

"Rehaana, my 11 year old Rehaana, she had her first period"

"Awww"

"Her granparents were out and the the cramps started and blood, she got scared and went and hid in her garden house. Around lunch time when her grandparents came back and couldn't find her granma went about the back and found her there all curled up and crying."

"Then?"

"Well firstly she hugged her so that the little one would calm down and then told her it was ok, that now she was turning into a woman, and all about the menstrual cycle. Rehaana for everything else is a very inquisitive kid, loves her books, loves her questions, even in that pain i think she asked granma so many questions that granma felt like maybe she should call a gynaec and get her to explain everything to this little kid"

"He he he, so sweet" ...He liked her giggly laugh...it was a mesmerizing sound, funnily he wondered, how it mesmerized only him.

"But I am not sure if I wrote this episode well enough, not like I've been having periods all my life."

"He he he, I can help you with this one, will help you redraft it"

"Will you?"

"Sure" she smiled

he smiled back...and over the phone they saw each other smile

"hmm so when are we meeting next"

"Don't know been busy, got a few presentations to make to prospective clients, will let you know"

"Sure, but eh, do say, how'd Gauri Pradhaan become Rehaana"

"Ooh thats gonna take some time to tell, let me work now, will call you later, ok?"

"sure, have a nice day at work"

she smiled

Three nights later she called

"After the scandal, life became very difficult in Bombay, I was fired, and snickered at everywhere I would go, suddenly I had become an untouchable. But there were still a few people who believed in me. A senior colleague who had left our firm much earlier to start his own consulting business in the US told me to pack my bags and come and stay at his place for a month.

I needed the change and I went there for a long two month vacation. I wasn't happy, I used to spend most of my time brooding about what had happened, in one go my whole life had been ruined by that man, I was angry as hell, but a new place, so many things to do did help take my mind of the whole incident, even if for a few hours.

I needed a new identity, and I quite liked the songs that "Rihaana" was belting out, but I wanted something more Indian. Also I thought that maybe it was time for me to settle down and do some family stuff. I knew this colleague had a crush on me, he always had, had proposed to me earlier also. This time I said yes and became Rehaana Pradhaan. I wanted to keep my surname and he was cool with it but I didn't want to be Gauri anymore.

We came back to India got married, things were ok but there wasn't really anything common between us, we were friends who got married, not lovers. The marriage only strained our friendship. Anyways his parents had a leather export business from Chennai, their native town and it wasn't doing well. They were high on debt and low on profitability. I knew what I had to do, it was the least I could do for all that he had done for me. So I got involved in the business and started turning it around. He had to go back to the US, his work was there, it also gave us the space we needed, I was tired of the random fights that were happening between us.

So this is why a girl like me is found in Chennai and not Bombay"

He chuckled at her half humor, what could he say, he suddenly realize that the reason he found her voice so mesmerizing was, because he had started liking her, liking her in that romantic way, guess it was the mention of her marriage that forced him to that reality, she had already gone through so much, he wondered where the author was taking this story cause he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do.

6 comments:

where is teh author taking this story? guess the Rehaana script is over, but then so much of literary under-tone and sub-text without a closure? is literature, fiction.. only for the dream theatre.. and then the rules of life aint follow the grammar of "good" chance? is a lovely story but the author closes the perimeter too fast...

i just havent had time or thise could have been sooner.anyways i just read it now.so i think that gives u a reason to clebrate :Pgood build up... keep going. i dont wanna be critical until the end though!